In today's (6/7/95) Michigan Daily, there is a very short article
by Josh White covers Baker's appeal. Due to its extreme brevity,
I quote it here in full:

No Decision on Baker's Appeal

A panel of 6th Circuit Court judges has yet to rule on LSA sophomore
Jake Baker's bond appeal as Baker remains in what his mother calls
"the hole" at the Milan Federal Correctional Institute.

The appeal has been under review for more than a week, but Baker's
lawyer said there is nothing unusual about the process.

"We expected to hear a decision last week, but there are no rules for a
proceeding like this," said Douglas Mullkoff, Baker's attorney. "We are
awaiting the decision and hope that he is released."

U.S. Attorney Ken Chadwell and Mullkoff will meet in Detroit today for
a scheduling hearing before Federal Judge Avern Cohn at 4 p.m. The trial
is currently slated to start Monday, April 3.

Mullkoff said yesterday that "a motion to dismiss the case is in the
works."

In a letter to the Michigan Daily, Baker's mother said Jake's 21st
birthday is Thursday and she hopes "he won't have to spend it in jail."

Baker-Watson Correspondence

In a 2/16/95 Daily story by Josh White, excerpts from Baker's e-mail
exchange with Phil Watson, a Virginia man, were printed. Baker sent
four messages to Watson throughout the day on 1/13/95, in response
to a message Watson sent to Baker criticizing the sexually violent
content of a Baker story titled "Dancing." Watson also alerted
University and federal officials about the story. Here are the
excerpts, separated by "---" because it is not clear from the
article how the excerpts have been edited.

Baker to Watson:

"See, Watson, my friend, this is why I write those stories -- to rid
myself of the overwhelming anger I feel.

"So give me your best shot. I've received so many supporting e-mails
your position seems to be in the minority. And even if you win this
one, there'll be another to replace me.

"Can you fight the world. Because that's what you're doing. Freedom
is slowly sprining (sic) from long years of darkness. Your slavery
is a dark blight on the soul of mankind. Perhaps I shed no light,
but I burn away your evil.

"I have already won."

---

"My stories are harmless diversions. I have never hurt anybody, and
never plan on hurting anybody.

"...I have remained honest to you people, simply to express the fact
that I would never do the things in my stories. I leave myself open
to attacks such as these, which is perhaps not the best thing, but I
believe it is proper."

---

"You, on the other hand, are trying at the least to ruin my reputation,
and at most, get me expelled from the school's net system. Although
I don't care about the former, and am not at the least worried about
the latter, I would express great dissaproval (sic) of your actions.
It is people like you who make others use anon(ymous) adresses (sic),
something I find distasteful and would never do."

---

"'And the dark lord grew very angry at the Buddha. All the beautiful
women turned into the most vicious fiends of hell. They launched a
thousand arrows at him. But the Buddha simply kneeled down, and let
his fingers brush the ground. He said, 'this place is mine.' The
limbs of the Tree of Life reached down to protect the Buddha, and
when the arrows came near, they turned into flowers of worship, and
landed gently at the Buddha's feet."

---

"What you are advocating is called censorship. People like you have
burned Alexandria; destroyed great works of art in Hitler Germany.
A person like you shot Martin Luther King Jr. Silencing a voice is
never right, and although I do not claim there exist (sic) any grand
philosophical revalations (sic) in my stories, I am angered that you
would jeperdize (sic) my college career in the name of censorship.

"The great spirit judges you only by what you do, not what you think
or by what is done to you. I have done nothing -- my soul is clean.
You have filthied yours with the vilest of crimes -- the crime
of censorship."

---

Watson said he was for free speech, but said Baker's story went beyond
what should be allowed on the internet.

"I was merely concerned about a person who would pass off as 'erotica'
a story about rape, mutilation and snuff," said Watson in an e-mail
message to the Daily.

Watson's e-mail address appeared on documents entered into evidence
at Baker's detention hearing.

Incomplete information on the Baker case and relevant links, including my prior
informational postings on the subject and the (anonomized) story in question
may be found on the WWW at:

http://krusty.eecs.umich.edu/people/pjswan/Baker/Jake_Baker.html

If you know of other relevant WWW sites, please notify me and I
will add links to the page.